Wherever
by feefsmall
Summary: After leaving for the summer, Seth returns home to find things have changed, drastically. Chapter 3 uploaded - will Summer ever forgive Seth for leaving?
1. The wanderer returns

**_Wherever_**

**Author's Note: **Result of boredom. Some ideas for the Season 2 opener. I've tried to keep everyone in character but I'm sorry if some of it seems OOC, it is a very unlikely storyline, of course. Please read and review if you want.

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_Part 1 - The wanderer returns_

Tying his boat up to the pier, Seth takes one last look at his yacht.

"Well pal, we've been through a lot, you and me. Now we have to go our separate ways for a while."

"You know, they say it's the first sign of madness, talking to yourself."

Seth turns around at the familiar voice.

"Dad! What are you doing here?" Seth says, surprised to see his father standing before him.

"Well, I got a call from Chris who said you had called in to say that you would be needing a space for your yacht today, so I put two and two together and guessed you were showing your face again." Sandy says, smiling.

"Yeah, I'm sorry I never called you Dad, I wanted to surprise you. It's good to see you Dad!" Seth says, before hugging his father.

"Good to see you too son, have you been working out?"

"Dad, I've been pulling ropes and turning wheels for 4 months, that's like going to the gym about three hundred times!" Seth says, admiring his newly acquired muscles.

Sandy picks up Seth's bags from the deck of his yacht and signals for Seth to come with him.

"Come on, it's time you came home Son. Captain Oat's is on the verge of suicide, he's missed you too much. "

"Just Captain Oats, huh?" Seth laughs.

"Well, I could name a few others too."

"So, how has the other's been since I left?" Seth asks, nervously.

"Well, If you're talking about Summer then…"

"That bad, huh? I guess my letter didn't go down as well as I hoped it would. "

"No, it's not that. A lot's happened since you left Seth." Says Sandy, looking down.

"What?"

"Let's not get into that right now, let's just get home. You can surprise your mom. I didn't tell her where I was going. " Sandy says, swiftly changing the subject while opening his car doors.

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Kirsten places the wine bottle back on the counter after pouring a glass out for herself and her sister Hailey.

"So, what's the big news?" Kirsten says, worrying. She never knows what's around the corner when it comes to her sister.

"Well, I'm moving out." Hailey announces, straight to the point.

"Jimmy asked me to move in with him and Caitlin."

"And you said yes?"  Kirsten asks, surprised.

"Of course I did. We've kind of been dating for about 5 months now, I just think we're ready for the next step." Hailey says, slightly embarrassed. The man she is beginning to love is her sister's ex-boyfriend after all.

 "Well, as long as you're happy, I'm really happy for you. " Kirsten says, smiling.

"I am happy. And I just wanted to say that I'm really grateful, to you and Sandy for putting up with me. "

"Woah, you really have changed, you know? I think that.." Kirsten is interrupted by the sound of the front door opening. 

"That must be Sandy. Wait until I tell him the good news. Not that we want rid of you, of course." Kirsten says while walking out of the kitchen and into the hall.

Seth places his bags of the floor and begins to walk towards the kitchen. Before he gets there, he meets Kirsten who doesn't notice him at first.

"Sandy, you'll never guess what Hailey's just told me. It's...Seth!"

Kirsten throws herself into her son's arms.

"Easy mom, you almost knocked me to the ground." Seth laughs.

Kirsten smiles, she has her son back. Or at least, one of her son's.

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Summer sighs as she reads the note again.

_Dear Summer, _

_There's no easy way to say this. I'm leaving for the summer. I've decided to sail to __Tahiti__. It's something I've always want to do, and I think it will give me time to get my head straight. I want you to know that this is nothing to do with you and me. I really like what we have together, and I hope you can forgive me and that we can sort things out when I return. Keep Safe. _

_Love Seth. _

_P.S – Look after Captain Oats for me.__ Maybe Princess Sparkle can keep him company. _

Summer folds the note up once again and puts it in the cabinet next to her bed.

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Opening the door to his room, Seth looks around and smiles. It's exactly how he left it. Except for one thing. Walking over to the cabinet beside his bed, he picks up the item.

"Hey, Princess Sparkle. So, you and Captain Oats finally hooked up then?"

After a knock on the door, Seth puts down the pony and sits down on the bed.

"Can I come in?" Hailey asks.

"Sure. Hey." Says Seth, giving his aunt a hug. 

"How does it feel to be back home?" Hailey asks, sitting down on the bed.

"Strange. I still kind of feel like I'm moving, you know? Like I'm still sailing and constantly moving from side to side."

"It'll pass." Hailey says laughing. "So, have your folks told you all the gossip yet?"

"No, did I miss anything exciting?" Seth says, excitedly. 

"You could say that. Where do I start? Oh, Julie Cooper's fairytale family didn't last long."

"They split up?" Seth says, not surprised.

"No, they're still together in their mansion. Just, on their own." Hailey replies, rolling her eyes. "Catlin decided she wanted to live with her dad after she poured a glass of coke all over her step-dad's desk and he took away her horse. Poor thing, I know how she feels."

"And Marissa?" Seth asks.

"She kind of umm.. got sent away." Hailey says, awkwardly.

"Sent away where?"

"To rehab." Hailey states.

"Rehab?"

"Yeah, rehab. Julie booked her in after she got through five bottles of vodka in three days. "

"Ok, so nothing's really changed when it comes to Marissa then. I bet that was hard on Summer though. I was kind of depending on Marissa to be there to keep her company while I was away." Seth says, worrying about what his girlfriend got up to without him all summer.

"Seth, there's something you should know. While you were away, something else happened. Something big."

"What?" Seth asks, guessing it was something else to do with Marissa.

"There was an accident. A fire, at Summer's house." Hailey states, looking at Seth. "Don't worry, Summer's fine."

"Ok, so it's not that big then?" Seth says, looking for reassurance.

"No, Seth. Summer was trapped inside, and her dad saved her. He managed to help her to climb out the window but he never made it himself. He's dead Seth."

"Oh my god." Seth says jumping up. "I have to go and see Summer, where is she?"

"She's living with her mom now. Her step-mom threw her out of the house only days after her father died. The bitch somehow managed to inherit the house and most of the insurance money from her husband's estate." Hailey says, shaking her head. She still can't believe how cruel that woman was to the poor girl.

"I can't believe this. I should have been there for her. She's been through hell and I should have been here." Seth says, disgusted with himself. "I have to go and see her."

Seth grabs Princess Sparkle from his cabinet before running out the room, heading of to see his girlfriend.

To be continued….


	2. Cohen

**_Wherever_**

**Author's Note: **Thanks for all the reviews; I'm glad you all seem to have liked the first part. 's trying to keep each chapter quite long, as I know how annoying it can be when you wait for an update on a fic and the author posts a crap 500 word chapter! Where are all the words people?!?

Hope you enjoy this. Seth continues on his quest to find Summer.

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_Part 2 – "Cohen"_

Seth takes the stairs two at a time, trying to think about what he is going to say to his girlfriend. Is she still his girlfriend? He doesn't know, and at this particular moment he doesn't care. All he cares about is seeing Summer, giving her a big hug and telling her that everything is going to be alright.

As he reaches the bottom of the stairs, Seth grabs his father's car keys from the table in the hall and heads towards the door. As he is about to turn the handle, Seth feels a hand on his shoulder.

"Seth, what are you doing? You're mother's about to order in some lunch from Ranchos. You should…"

"That's great dad, just leave it on the counter and I'll heat it up when I get home." Seth says, interrupting his father.

Seth opens the door and heads outside.

"Seth, WAIT." Sandy shouts, following him.

"Dad, I have to go and find Summer, what do you want?" Seth says, angrily.

"Well for starters, you won't.."

"Dad, you don't understand, I.."

"Of course I understand Seth, Hailey obviously told you what happened and you're worried about Summer. But if you had let me finish I would have told you that you won't need these." Sandy says, taking his car keys from Seth's hand.

"What? Summer's mom lives on Harbor View, that's miles away."

"Not anymore she doesn't, she moved." Sandy states.

"Where?"

"Right there." Sandy replies, pointing to the house next door.

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Knowing on the front door of the house which used to belong to the Cooper family, Seth tries to think of what he is going to say to Summer. What do you say to someone who has just lost their father?

Before Seth gets a chance to answer his own question, the door opens and he is faced with a young, five year old boy.

"Hi." Seth says, smiling. He figures that this is Summer's half-brother, Jake.

The boy hides behind the door and doesn't talk, so Seth continues.

"You must be Jake. Summer told me all about you. I'm Seth, I live next door. "

Jake peeps out from behind the door and Seth realises he has Summer's eyes. Summer had always talked about him, he was the only good thing to come out of his parent's splitting up. Summer loved being a big sister to Jake, not that she got to see him that often. Although she was a big Jake fan, she wasn't much of a fan of her step-dad, so for that reason, didn't visit her mom that much. 

"There's no need to be shy Jake, I'm Seth Cohen, hasn't Summer mentioned me?"

"Cohen?" Jake asks, smiling.

"Yes, Cohen." Seth replies. "Is Summer at home Jake?"

"No, she went out. I don't know where though; hold on, I'll get my mom." The little boy replies before running off, shouting on his mother.

Seth peers into the house and notices it has completely changed since the last time he was in it. All of Julie Cooper's weird statues of naked young men have gone. Julie always had a thing for naked young men. Seth figures she has finally seen the error of her ways; she's gone for a really old man instead. Seth decides not to even go near the nakedness of that old man. It is his grandfather after all.

Seth is interrupted from his thoughts by a tall, dark-haired women walking towards him, the slightly older version of Summer.

"Can I help you?" the woman asks.

"I'm Seth Cohen, Summer's boy.." Seth coughs. "I'm a friend of Summer's and I was wondering if you could tell me where I can find her."

"So, you're 'the' Cohen?"

Seth nods.

"You're 'the' Cohen who broke my daughter's heart."

Seth looks down at the ground, ashamed of the hurt that he has caused Summer.

"Look, I'm going to be honest here. You practically dumped my daughter in a letter, disappeared for a whole summer and never called her once to let her know you were safe, leaving her to worry about you every single day, pining away and driving us all crazy. "

"I didn't mean to.." Seth interrupts.

"Let me finish please. Despite all of that, the fact is, you seem like a good kid, and she really needs you right now. So… try the cemetery, she goes there every day around this time of day."

Seth feels a lump coming to his throat, regretting the day he ever decided to leave Newport.

"Thank you, Mrs.."

"Diane, call me Diane."

"Thank you, Diane. For the record, If I had known any of this was going to happen, there's no way under the sun I would have left. That why, I have to find her, because if it's not to late, I want to be there for her."

Seth turns and runs down the drive, heading for his dad's car.

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Hailey steps through the front door of Jimmy's house, placing some bags on the floor.

"Hello?"

Getting no answer, Hailey walks over to the table next to the door, noticing a piece of paper on it.

_Gone to collect Caitlin, will be back soon._

Hailey remembers that today is one of the few days that Caitlin spends with her mom.

_Make yourself at home, it **is **your home after all! xxx Jimmy. _

Hailey smiles, she finally has a home again.

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"So, I was in the mall the other day and I was walking past Groucho's and I looked at the menu, and guess what? They've taken the chicken fajitas off the menu! Can you believe it? Remember how Wednesday night was always 'Chick Faj' night? It's like the end of an era!"

Summer laughs but then stops herself.

"Why am I laughing? I shouldn't be laughing. It's not funny, nothing's funny anymore." Summer says, sitting down on the ground next to her father's gravestone.

"Dad, I need you. I need you to be here. I'm going crazy, look at me. I've talking to thin air, I don't even know if you can hear me. "

Summer is silent for a while, tears beginning to fall. This is the same routine she has performed many times. She feels sad at home, so comes to the cemetery, thinking talking to her 'father' will make her feel better but it doesn't and she ends up going home feeling sadder than she did when she arrived.

"I'm just so lonely dad. I have no one to talk to. You're not here, Marissa's not here, Cohen's not here and I can't talk to mom, and certainly not to Nick. I'm just alone dad, alone."

Summer puts her head in her hands and lets the tears fall. She stays like this for a long time, just crying and staring at the words on her father's gravestone. Finally, she hears footsteps behind her and look's up.

Her jaw drops open and she utters one word.

"Cohen"

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to be continued….


	3. Safe

**_Wherever_**

**Author's Note: ** Hope you enjoy this next chapter. Please feel free to give me any comments on what you think of it, whether it is good or bad. I'd rather you told me the truth rather than lie and say it was the best fic you've ever read, so, go ahead… tell me if it sucks!

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_Part 3 – Safe_

"Cohen"

"Summer"

Seth stands awkwardly above Summer, not knowing what to say to her. She looks so different from the last time he saw her. Her hair is loosely tied up in a ponytail, and she is wearing a creased, tear-stained grey jumpsuit which matches the pale colour on her face. Her image in this precise moment is a complete contrast to the one which Seth has been holding in his memory for the past few months, the image of his beautiful girlfriend walking away from him at his grandfather's wedding reception. He remembers looking at her after telling her that his boat was named after her, and couldn't believe that she was his. Why did he ever leave her?

After the few moments of silence, Summer stands up and walks away from Seth.

"Summer, wait!" Seth says, grabbing the girl's arm as she attempts to walk away.

"Leave me alone Cohen. I don't walk to talk to you." Summer says, wriggling free from Seth's grip.

"Wait, can't you just stay for one minute? Don't I deserve that?"

"No, you don't!" Summer shouts then starts walking again.

Summer's usage of his real name makes Seth realise that she is really mad at him, but he refuses to give up.

"Please Summer, just listen to me." Seth pleads, following Summer as she walks through the cemetery.    

"No, why don't **you** listen to **me**! I know that I'm not the brightest of people but I thought we had a good thing going, I thought you really cared about me. But no, I guess I couldn't have been more wrong." Summer says, almost yelling, turning the heads of others walking by.

"Of course, I cared about you Summer, I still do, a lot."

"I don't think you do. If you had cared about me, you wouldn't have left. You wouldn't have just taken off for the whole summer without so much as a goodbye. Or, you would have phoned at least once and asked me how I was. Because, do you even know how I was, Cohen?"

"I…" Seth begins to answers.

"No, let me finish. I was ripped apart Cohen. I came round to see you, the day you left. I had bought you some tickets for the new Tarantino movie, I wanted to cheer you up, I wish I hadn't even bothered now. I went up to your room and found your note. I was crying for days Cohen. And then… well, just when I thought things were bad, they got a thousand times worse." Summer finishes, not wanting to go over everything that happened in the accident.

"Look, Summer, I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry. If I had known that you had been going through all of this, I would never have left." Seth explains.

"Then, why did you leave? Didn't you think that I might be slightly upset that you were leaving for a whole summer? Couldn't you have least told me to my face?" Summer asks.

"I… I couldn't." Seth stutters.

Summer shakes her head, which urges Seth to go on.

"I couldn't tell you to your face Summer. If I had told you and seen your reaction, I don't think I would have been able to leave. And I had to leave, I just had to leave. My head was all over the place and I just needed to sort myself out."

"And you needed to go all the way to Tahiti to do that?" Summer asks.

"I went to Tahiti because I had to do something to prove to myself that I could stand on my own two feet. Like I said to you before I left, before Ryan came along I was a loser. I was a scared, lonely and bullied loser who couldn't do anything right. No matter what I did I was laughed at and picked on. My life sucked, Summer, but I didn't have the courage to do anything about it." Seth pauses, taking time to think about what he should say next.

"Ryan gave me that courage, Summer. And when he left, I was scared again. I was scared that I would fall back in to my old ways and loose everything, including you. So I sailed to Tahiti, something that I had dreamt about doing for so long but didn't believe that I could ever do it. But I managed it, even when I was tired, and the waves were threatening to knock me over, I stood up against them. It made me realise that I didn't have to loose everything, that I can do anything if I set my mind to it." Seth finishes.

Summer doesn't say anything; she doesn't know what to say. She wants to be mad at Seth for leaving her, but after everything that has happened over the summer and taking into consideration what he has just told her, she crumbles. Walking over to him, she wipes away the tears that have slipped from her eyes.

"Summer, I.."

"Shh…" Summer interrupts. "You don't have to say anymore, I understand now. I just, I just wished you had called me while you were away. I was worried about you Cohen, I needed to know that you were safe. I.. I need you."

As the tears fall faster down her face, Summer edges closer to Seth.

Seth's heart breaks as he watches the tears fall down his girlfriend's face. The magnitude of the pain she has been through is evident on her tired looking face. Seth may have changed over the summer, but one thing that hasn't changed is his feelings for Summer. He vows to himself that he will never leave her again;

"It's okay, I'm here now and I'm never going to leave you again." Seth says as the tears continue to run down Summer's face.

"Come here." Seth says, holding his arms out to Summer.

Summer envelopes herself in Seth's arms and rests her head on his chest. For the first time in a long while, she feels safe, like she can finally rest.

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_To be continued…._


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